Pigeon

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Saturday, November 29, 2008

I love action figures. And yes I dress them up- the term is Kit-bash. "She who must be obeyed" calls it like she sees it "dressing up my dolls".Anyway, these guys take it to a whole new level- Hell, these look better than real girls.The level of detail is amazing. Of course the outfits and posing suggest things that would make Barbie faint. I wasn't sure how much they cost because the website was in Japanese, but I can imagine they ain't cheap.

Friday, November 28, 2008

If you’re a reader I’m sure this has happened to you- there’s a book up on a shelf that you bought at someone’s insistence quite a while ago, It’s been sitting there unread for a couple of years now. For whatever reason, you finally decide to have a look at it, and you discover within the first ten pages that this is going to be one of those books that will make it to the shelf of favorites.

All the while saying to yourself “Why the hell didn’t I read this years ago”?

It just happened to me a few days ago. The book- “A Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin.

I can imagine a few of you out there rolling your eyes and saying “Duh”.

I haven’t been this enraptured in a story since I cracked my first David Gemmel story (Morningstar).

The story reminds me When I first started my online journey over a decade ago (has it been that long?). I joined an AD&D Play by Email (PBEM) game. My character was a Fighter, a nobleman named Sir Halcyon Pontifax. He was a Knight of the Shield Lands (it was a Greyhawk campaign). He had only his name and his warhorse, having lost everything else when Iuz overran the Shield Lands. Most of his time in the campaign was spent adventuring in order to support his sister and children (His wife died while he was away fighting in the "Greyhawk Wars). His dream was to one day reclaim his lands.

Man, I wish I could find a game around here where I could drop him in and have him manage his estate, deal with intrigue and go chasing after the occasional bandit gang or rival lord. I know there is at least one RPG version of “Game of thrones” out there with another one on the way. It could also be done with a number of other systems From GURPS and Pendragon (BRP) to the venerable and beautiful Birthright. The problem is finding a group in my area actually running this type of campaign.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Can you ever have enough RPG PDF's? I can't, I love them. I have dozens. I've even read a couple of them.

Giving thanks is great and Adamant Entertainment is being especially thankful this year and offering all of their PDF's for a buck a piece.Read on...

To celebrate five great years in operation, Adamant Entertainment is running a special sale from Thanksgiving Thursday through the weekend -- the entire Adamant catalog of products have been reduced to a recession-friendly price of one dollar apiece! In addition, every customer during the sale will be registered in a drawing that will take place on Monday, December 1st -- and the winner will receive a subscription for every PDF product that Adamant will release in 2009! (No purchase necessary -- email marketing@adamantentertainment.com for a free entry.)

Now Adamant has always been a little hit and miss in my book, but they do have some solid products and they know how to market well.I'm Grabbing me the Mars and Northern Crown books peppered with a few Thrilling Tales products. Check out the deals at:

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I braved the seedier side of Sacramento today in search of Chap Mei sets.

No joy.

However I did run across this little gem over at the Burlington coat factory outlet.

It's a book with an attached digital audio commentary by Stan "The Man" Lee.

This baby was on closeout at $9.99!

Can you say sweet deal?

"Stan Lee—whose wildly creative imagination gave life to such superheroes as Spider-Man, The X-Men, and Daredevil—presents his 50 favorite MARVEL-ous moments. This exclusive book and digital audio collection is a must-have for every comic book fan.Experience the Marvel Universe in a whole new way—guided by the master himself in a gorgeous, deluxe volume with audio files that actually feature Stan Lee speaking. Lee is known and beloved to millions as the man who helped propel Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry. From The Incredible Hulk to The Fantastic Four, his work has left an indelible mark not only in comics, but also in movies and TV. That’s why his huge number of fans will be thrilled with this unique and beautifully designed full-color book, printed on art-quality paper. It presents 50 top Marvel happenings, arranged chronologically, plus 68 audio tracks (45 minutes running time) of Lee’s fascinating commentary. The format, which contains an actual 2" speaker, allows you to skip and scroll easily to wherever you want. There’s even a 3-digit LCD display. Anyone who’s ever wondered why the Hulk started out gray and then changed to green, what Stan was thinking when he agreed to kill off Gwen Stacy, and why Lee decided to make Daredevil blind, will finally find the answers. The book is profusely illustrated, showcasing ten thematic spreads that detail such subjects as the “Women of Marvel,” “Marvel vs. DC,” “Morality in the Marvel Universe,” and “Spider-Man’s Artists.”"

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

When I began my Internet journey one of the first groups of people I met were a gang of GI Joe collectors on a list called "Action Heroes". One of the members was Hutt Wigley. It's been over ten years but many of us from that old list are still hanging out together. Hutt has taken his passion for action figures and has combined it with the wizardry of stop motion animation. This contest he's entered has a grand prize of $25,000 and the film gets shopped around to industry folks. This is a great opportunity for Hutt to get some exposure and make some connections in addition to funding for more equipment and future products. Here is a message from Hutt.:

Back in February of 2008, a local (Boise, ID) Hip-Hop artist, called QS the Soul Brother, asked me to create an animated music video for one of his songs. After listening to his catalog of music, I selected the song “Let’s Do It” which QS collaborated on with a rapper named Tone. I created action figure versions of the two musical artists and, using stop-motion animation, placed them in a sort of Indiana Jones-esque pulp adventure setting. Working an average of 6 hours a day, the video took exactly 3 months to complete.

The music video was shown at the GI JoeFest Stop-Motion Animation Film Festival, and won the 4th place Audience Choice award.

I also entered the video in the annual contest on aniBoom.com which ends December 2nd, 2008. To vote for it and leave comments, go here: http://www.aniboom.com/video/283351/Lets-Do-It/

Thanks for checking it out!

-Hutt Wigley

So there you go folks. Once again a fellow geek needs our help. please check out the video and vote for it. Yes, you do have to register with them to vote but it takes like 2 minutes- and this could be a life changing event for Hutt if he was to win. If you collect comics, action figures or play RPG's you know you have taken some shit from people who think those things are childish, here's a chance to toss it back at them and help a brother out in the process. the animation looks fun but it's a lot of work. Let's help reward hutt's dedication to his hobby.Thanks.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Saturday, November 15, 2008

My regular gaming group came to a sudden unexpected end tonight. So to fill the void I'm going to use this opportunity to explore Cartoon Action Hour: season 2Ive got several players from the Midnights Lair Message board signed on. It looks like we are going to try some virtual tabletop gaming via Skype and Screen Monkey.

here is the premise so far:The characters are part of a global organization known as the World Science Agency, a private organization that recruits Scientists from all countries and conducts research and investigates all manner of scientific phenomena. The bulk of the organization is research oriented and they have facilities throughout the world. The elite of the organization belong to The Special Missions BureauEach member is a expert in at least one scientific field. the scientists are divided into teams that of 4-6 members and are sent to investigate any scientific issues that may have global impact. Each team is given the code name of a famous scientist (i.e. Team Galileo, Team Edison, Team Del Rio, Team Jung, etc.)

Because of the active and often dangerous circumstances the teams find themselves in, members are required to be physically as well as mentally fit. Many have military training or extensive field work experience. The Special missions "Boot camp" is in Guyana and has former members of the American Rangers, British SAS, and Russian Spetsnatz amongst its cadre.